The LGF marks Holocaust Memorial Day 2014

Publish Date: 21/01/2014

27th January is Holocaust Memorial Day, a chance for everyone to remember the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in the subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. To commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, The Lesbian & Gay Foundation is hosting three unique events to remember LGB&T victims.

Grahame Robertson, Resource & Information Manager at The Lesbian & Gay Foundation said: “It’s vitally important that the voices and experiences of those affected by the Holocaust continue to be heard. LGB&T people are a part of that history, and we can learn much from their experiences. I hope these events go some way to ensuring their voices are still heard.”

A multi-media display and video exhibit highlighting the stories of LGB Holocaust survivors in their own words. This exhibition highlights the LGB survivors of the Holocaust, using powerful quotes, images and video interviews. Visitors to the exhibition are welcome to stay for the film screenings, detailed below.Venue: The Lesbian & Gay Foundation, Number 5, Richmond Street, M1 3HF

Friday 31st January at 6.30pm, at The LGFFilm Screening & Discussion: The Einstein of Sex

‘The Einstein of Sex’ is a German film with English subtitles from 1999. The film is the life story of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, a German Jew, who established the field of sexology, and fought against German anti-sodomy laws in the late 19th century. The film follows the establishment of the First Institute of Sexual Sciences in Berlin in 1920, and the struggles to keep it open, up to the rise of the Third Reich in the mid-1930s. Directed by celebrated film-maker, Rosa von Praunheim who took the artistic female name Rosa Von Praunheim to remind people of the pink triangle that homosexuals had to wear in Nazi concentration camps. Please note this film contains scenes of a sexual nature, and some upsetting scenes.Venue: The Lesbian & Gay Foundation, Number 5, Richmond Street, M1 3HF

This special screening of the film 'Aimee and Jaguar', is followed by a discussion of themes raised by the film with Cathy Gelbin (Senior Lecturer in German Studies from the University of Manchester) and Clem Herman (from Manchester's LGBT Jewish Group). Aimée & Jaguar is a 1999 German drama film set in Berlin during World War II. It is based on the actual lives of Lilly Wust (a German woman who was married to a Nazi officer) and Felice Schragenheim (a German Jew who was living undercover) during that time period.Venue: The Lesbian & Gay Foundation, Number 5, Richmond Street, M1 3HF

After both film screenings, we will have refreshments and a short discussion.

Holocaust Memorial Day is marked on the 27th January each year and the marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. Holocaust Memorial Day is a time when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and to recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own, it’s a steady process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented. We’re fortunate here in the UK; we are not at risk of genocide. However, discrimination has not ended, nor has the use of the language of hatred or exclusion. There is still much to do to create a safer future and Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity to start this process. www.hmd.org.uk

For more information about Manchester's LGBT Jewish Group, click here to visit their Facebook page.